Yes, Paul...Heydon may have been formally appointed through the Governor General, but he was hand-picked by Abbott.

Here's one time Abbott fan, Peter Hartcher, tearing Abbott and his cronies to shreds.

"The Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, and half a dozen of his ministers came to Sydney for a joint cabinet meeting with his Australian counterparts. It was a friendly exercise, full of shared interests and personal warmth.

But when the Kiwis withdrew to Key's suite in the Sheraton on the Park hotel at the end of the day, and discussed privately what they'd seen, a consensus quickly formed – they were unimpressed. If Key was the mentor, Abbott was a poor student. The NZ leadership foresaw that "it will all end in tears", as one NZ participant put it to me. That was February 2014. The Abbott government was five months old."

"The Australian Prime Minister's office is a crucible of crisis, waging a full-time operation just to keep Abbott in his job for even a single term."

"In Australia we see a government disliked and disrespected, an ineffectual reform effort, and a chronically crisis-ridden administration."

"Abbott never set up a serious "political architecture" for government because his operation is essentially unchanged from his time as opposition leader.

An all-powerful chief of staff, Peta Credlin, centralised all decision making in herself in close consultation with the political arm of the party, led by her husband, Brian Loughnane.

But this was a campaigning team, not a structure for government."

"The words "good government" have since become an ironic shorthand, a catch-all for the conga line of flubs, flare-outs and failures that the government flaunts shamelessly through the nation's life as if it were a proud achievement."

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/good-government-neednt-be-a-punchline-tony-abbott-20150814-gizeg8.html

Parrot and Paul,

You are so beholden to the unions and desperate to protect the proceeds of crime flowing into the labor and pedogreen coffers that you will say anything.

You know that when Julian Burnside comes out to defend Heydon, you know it is a fatuous beat up. Are all the others who gave talks at this annual function such as chief justices are all Liberal lackies?

Dear Shadow Minister,

Back off.

Whether the Justice knew that he'd be speaking at a
Liberal Fund-Raiser - we don't really know. The fact
remains that he withdrew the minute he found out
that's what it was. What needs to be questioned now is
why did the NSW Branch of the Liberal Party not tell him
ahead of time? Not a good look for a Royal Commissioner.
The NSW Branch of the Liberal Party should have known
better and Labor is completely justified in having
brought this matter to everyone's attention. Mr Abbott
would have done nothing less.

Shadow I am addressing a. meeting of the KKK this evening on the evillness of the negro. Just helping them raise some much need cash. I hope nobody interapates that as me supportings the aims of the KKK! LOL

SM,

"You know that when Julian Burnside comes out to defend Heydon, you know it is a fatuous beat up..."

Here's what Julian Burnside tweeted yesterday:

"Heydon is an honourable man. I give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he is honourable enough to step down"

http://twitter.com/JulianBurnside/status/631986466105659392

SM,

"....Are all the others who gave talks at this annual function such as chief justices are all Liberal lackies?"

It's only been going since 2010...

"But the event has a long association with the Liberal Party since Attorney-General George Brandis gave the inaugural address in 2010, as shadow attorney-general.

The invitation for the 2010 event was written on Liberal Party letterhead and sent on behalf of the party's legal practitioners professional branch and its attorney-general and justice policy branch.

Guests were told to make payments to attend the event to the Liberal Party.

The 2012 address was delivered by a former Liberal attorney-general Tom Hughes who was introduced by his son-in-law Malcolm Turnbull, now the Communications Minister. An advertisement for the 2012 address says it was "organised by a branch of the Liberal Party".

Mr Heydon's father was the private secretary to Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies. Sir Garfield, the nation's longest-serving chief justice, was Attorney-General under Menzies."

"Mr Heydon also released emails between his office and the organiser of the event, Gregory Burton, SC, a barrister who has been speculated to be a potential federal Liberal successor to Bronwyn Bishop in the northern Sydney seat of Mackellar.

Mr Burton is a member of the NSW Bar Association's Bar News Committee, which is chaired by Jeremy Stoljar, the counsel assisting the royal commission.

Mr Stoljar and Mr Heydon both belong to Eight Selborne Chambers at 174 Phillip St, Sydney. Mr Burton works at 5 Wentworth chambers at 180 Phillip St, which was founded by Sir Garfield in 1932."

"In his email to Mr Heydon's assistant on Wednesday, Mr Burton wrote: "As you know, although nominally under the auspices of the Liberal Party's lawyers professional branches, this is not a fundraiser"."

http://www.afr.com/news/politics/dyson-heydon-and-the-long-liberal-party-history-of-the-garfield-barwick-address-20150814-gizf9m?stb=twt#ixzz3inEYfnu3

SM, I think the answer to your question is...."Yes"